Author's Notes: I'm SO SORRY that this chapter took so long to get up. I've been super crazy busy lately … my life has been incredibly hectic. I'm taking the time out to post this chapter, though.
My laptop broke last night … well, not the laptop, but the AC Adapter that plugs it in. And since my cord didn't work right to begin with, it didn't charge my laptop so I could use it without the cord. So I ordered another cord last night, so we'll see when it returns. Being without a computer at home might give me more time to write, we'll have to see.
About these next few chapters … chapters ten and eleven go together … but I had to split it up otherwise chapter ten would be about fifteen pages in word. So I split it into two chapters. Enjoy!!
A Recipe For Disaster
Chapter Ten
Michael and Sara had been seeing each other for a week, and were still keeping it a secret from Lincoln. Michael was beginning to feel extremely guilty. He'd spent most of the nights that week over at Sara's, he liked sleeping in the same bed as her. It was comfortable, and he liked seeing her first thing in the morning. He knew that he had it bad, he wasn't denying that he was crazy about her. He was absolutely, 100 crazy about her.
Driving back to his apartment after work on Friday, his fingers were tapping the steering wheel. He and Sara had decided that they were going to go on a real date tonight. The whole pick her up, take her somewhere, treat her like a princess kind of date. Michael was excited. Pulling into his parking lot, he got out of his car and headed upstairs, taking out his keys to unlock the door. He didn't see his brother, so he went right into the back to get ready.
He took a quick shower, wrapping a towel around his waist when he got out. He stood in front of the mirror and shaved, washing the excess shaving cream off his face when he was done. He put on some deodorant and then slapped on some cologne, giving his reflection a small smile. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Lincoln leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom door.
"Lincoln, hi," Michael said, clearing his throat and giving his brother a smile. Lincoln smirked.
"Someone's getting all dressed up," he observed. Michael smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, going out with some work colleagues tonight," he lied. He hated lying to his brother. Absolutely hated it.
"Liar. Why are you lying to me? If you were going out with work colleagues, you wouldn't have come home to shower first," Lincoln pointed out, the smirk still on his face. Michael moved out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room. Lincoln followed him. "So … who is she? Why haven't you told me about her?" Lincoln asked. Michael moved to his closet to look for something to wear. He had told Sara to dress a little formal, he was going to take her to a nice restaurant.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Michael said, grabbing a pair of black pants out of his closet and setting them on his bed. He opened the drawer of his dresser with his boxers and pulled out a pair of black boxer briefs, pulling them on underneath his towel and then discarding the towel.
"You can't lie worth a shit, you know that, right?" Lincoln teased, leaning against the doorframe that lead into Michael's bedroom. His eyes followed his brother as he got ready to go out. "I know you're going on a date, and I'm happy for you, Michael," he said. Michael glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.
"Thanks," he said, pulling on the pants. He went back to his closet to look for a shirt and pulled out a blue button-up shirt. He set it on his bed and grabbed a white wifebeater from his dresser, putting it on and then pulling the blue shirt on over it. He left a few buttons at the top undone and then sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling on socks and shoes.
"Come on, tell me about her. You haven't been sleeping here a lot this past week or so, so I'm assuming you're sleeping at her place," Lincoln urged. Michael laughed, shaking his head.
"I don't kiss and tell, Linc," he said, shrugging. Lincoln snickered.
"Ahh, so that means you have been doing the kissing!" he said. Michael laughed again, Lincoln sounded like a child.
"I'm not saying a word," Michael shook his head.
"Fine, be that way," Lincoln pouted, before smiling again. "But I am happy for you, Michael. It's about time you found someone to make you happy."
Michael smiled and patted his brother on the shoulder. "What about you? What have you been up to this past week? When I am home, you're not," he pointed out while rolling up the sleeves on his shirt. Lincoln shrugged.
"I'm catching up with V. Spending time with her," he answered. Michael smiled, he had always liked Veronica. He held his hand out and pointed at his brother.
"Don't fuck with her head this time, Linc. Either decide that you want to be with her, or don't. But don't you fuck her over again," Michael warned. Lincoln laughed.
"Hey, we're just friends. And besides, if we decide to take our friendship in that direction, I'm much more mature now than I was when I graduated high school," he said. Michael laughed as he left his bedroom, Lincoln following him.
"Says you," he smirked. Lincoln punched his arm and Michael laughed harder, rubbing the spot that he was just punched in. "Ouch, asshole," he grabbed his keys and his cell phone. Lincoln smirked.
"Should I wait up for you?" he asked. Michael glanced back at his brother and then rolled his eyes.
"No. I probably won't be home at all," he said, and then he waved goodbye to his brother before going back down to his car. He got inside and started it up, heading in the direction of Sara's apartment.
-----
Sara was having a hard time deciding what she wanted to wear. She was off today, so she had spent most of her afternoon going through her closet, searching for something that she thought worked.
She was currently torn between two dresses. Both dresses were black, but one was much shorter and a little more form fitting than the other. She hadn't worn that dress in years, but she thought she looked good in it. The second dress was a little loose in the bodice, but it clung to her curves and it went down to the floor.
Finally opting for the second dress, Sara pulled it on and checked out her reflection in the mirror. She spun once, smiling at her reflection. She hoped Michael liked it. She had never felt for any other man the way she felt about him. Just the thought of spending time with him made a smile appear on her face and the sound of his voice made her heart beat faster.
Moving into the bathroom, she opened her makeup bag and dug through it. She rarely wore makeup, it wasn't really her thing. But she wanted to look her best for him tonight. He hadn't really alluded to much about their activities for the evening, but he did tell her that they would be going to a nice restaurant for dinner. Once she had finished applying her makeup, she went back into her room and slipped on the high-heeled shoes that she'd be wearing.
Admiring the complete look in her full-length mirror, she heard the buzzer out in her living room. Michael was there. Smiling, she moved out and pressed the button to speak. "Who's there?" she asked.
"Just some random guy who's come by to sweep you off your feet," Sara smiled even bigger when she heard Michael's voice. Shaking her head, she laughed a little.
"Is that right? I'm sorry, that position has already been filled," she answered back. She heard him chuckle.
"Come on, let me up," he insisted. She smiled and hit the button to let him up and she opened her door so he wouldn't have to knock. She retreated back into her bedroom to grab her coat and she heard the door shut.
"Sara?" Michael called, glancing around the living room. Sara grabbed her perfume and sprayed a little on, giving herself one last glance in the mirror. Nodding, she headed out to the living room to meet the man who made her heart skip a beat.
Michael froze when his gaze landed on Sara as she emerged out of her bedroom. A smile crossed his face as he gained his composure and he let out a low whistle. Sara smiled and walked closer to him.
"You look nice," she commented, stopping in front of him and placing a kiss on his cheek. Michael smiled and let his eyes take her in completely once more.
"Thank you. And you," he paused, taking a step back to let his eyes roam her body before stepping closer to her again, "you are just the definition of the word stunning, Miss Tancredi," he said. Sara smiled and felt a small blush rise up in her cheeks.
"Why, thank you," she said. Michael leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.
"You clean up nice," he teased. She hit his arm and he laughed, running his hand over the spot she hit. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and he held out his arm. "Then, shall we?"
She linked her arm through his and they made their way out the door and down to his car.
-----
Michael did have a reservation at a nice restaurant, and they were seated right away. He ordered a bottle of wine, only indulging in a little of it because he didn't want to get tipsy or buzzed and then drive. He smiled at Sara across the table and she smiled back at him.
"This is a nice place," she said, lifting the wine glass to her lips to drink a sip. Michael smiled and nodded.
"Yeah … I've only been here a few times. Never brought a woman here before," he said. Sara smiled.
"Well then I'm glad that I'm your first," she teased. Michael laughed.
"I am too," he said, nodding. The waiter came by and took their orders, and then left them alone again. Sara reached for her wine glass again and then glanced up, catching Michael staring at her. She smiled.
"What?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face or something?" she asked. Michael smiled and shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. I was just admiring how incredibly beautiful you are," he said. Sara felt her cheeks blush again. She never blushed. But the way Michael was looking at her, mixed with the compliments pouring out of his mouth, she couldn't help but blush. He smiled and reached across the table, grabbing her hand and kissing it.
"You, Michael Scofield, are absolutely amazing. I don't know how some other woman hadn't snatched you up yet," Sara said, intertwining her fingers with his. He shrugged.
"I just never found the right woman," he said, his thumb caressing over the top of her hand, "until now," he added, a smile on his face. Sara smiled and nodded.
"I feel the same way about you," she admitted. She was head over heels in love with this man, he was by far the sweetest, most caring man she had ever met.
They continued through dinner with idle chatter, talking about their jobs and pretty much anything that came to mind until their dinner came. They ate in a comfortable silence, letting each other sample their dishes. Before the end of the night, Sara ended up sitting in the seat next to Michael at the table instead of across from him.
After the waiter took their plates away and asked if they wanted dessert, Sara shook her head. "No way," she said, patting her belly. "I'm full," she said. Michael smiled, turning to the waiter.
"No thank you, we'll take the check," he said. He pulled out his credit card and handed it to the waiter. Sara took Michael's hand closest to her in hers.
"So what else did you have planned for this evening?" she asked. Michael looked at her and raised a brow.
"I take you out to a nice restaurant, buy you dinner, and you expect me to have thought of something else to do as well? Jesus, woman. You're pretty demanding," he teased. Sara laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't be a pain in the ass," she told him. He smiled and shook his head.
"I'm not telling. We're just going to go for a walk," he said, glancing at his watch. It was about 8:00pm, they had plenty of time.
"So secretive," she said, then smiled at him. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips.
"Not secretive. I just want to surprise you," he said. She smiled.
The waiter brought the check back and Michael left a generous tip, signing the bottom. He stood up and grabbed Sara's coat, holding it out to help her put it on. Once she had it on, he pulled his on and took her hand.
"You ready?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.
"I was born ready, baby," she said. He laughed. They left the restaurant and she moved towards where his car was parked, but he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back towards him.
"Nope, wrong way," he said. She raised a brow at him, but walked in the opposite direction with him. He pulled her closer to him and she slipped her arm around his waist, while he slipped his around her shoulders. They walked down a few blocks and once they neared their destination, Sara realized where they were going.
"Are you taking me to the Navy Pier?" she asked. Michael glanced at her and smiled, shrugging. "I think we're severely overdressed for Navy Pier," she added. He laughed and nodded.
"Yeah, we kind of are. But it doesn't really matter," he said. They walked under the bridge and then down the hill that lead to the pier. Sara smiled, she loved the pier. She hadn't been here in such a long time, she never really found a reason to anymore.
"I used to come to this place all the time when I was little," she said, glancing around at all the little kids running around playing and the parents sitting watching them. Michael glanced over at her and smiled.
"Oh yeah? So did I. I wonder if we ever ran into each other here when we were little," he said. She smiled and shrugged.
"It's possible," she said. They made it all the way down to the end of the pier hand in hand, just taking in the scenery and enjoying each other's company. Sara moved to the railing on the pier and snaked her arms over it, glancing out at the lake in front of her. She smiled when she felt Michael's arms snake around her waist and kiss the back of her neck.
"Are you having a good time?" he asked her into her ear. She smiled and nodded.
"I'm having a great time," she told him. He smiled.
"Good," he said. He glanced at his watch and smiled, the fireworks should be starting any minute now. Sure enough, there was an announcement stating that the fireworks would be starting in about five minutes. Sara turned her head to face him and smiled bigger.
"Fireworks?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.
"You are the sweetest man ever," she said, turning around in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him. He tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to him and returning her kiss. They stayed like that, locked in an embrace as the fireworks started.
Pulling apart finally, Michael placed a kiss on her nose and smiled before glancing up at the sky. She leaned her head against his chest and slid her arms around his waist in a hug as they watched the fireworks. Michael kissed the top of her head before turning to rest his cheek on the same spot. The moment felt perfect.
End Chapter Ten
02.21.2007